Rebirthing
by iSnapple
Summary: I nearly gasped when I saw Aang standing there instead of Katara. It seemed Azula had taken notice of him as well, because the lightning she had built up for me seemed to have changed targets. Shounen-ai. ZukAang. Slight Katara-bashing. No sense at all.


I was exhausted. But at the same time, I'd never before in my life felt so…invigorated. I could've sworn there was actually fire running through my veins. My body wanted to stop everything and just go to sleep. My arms were sore, my legs were sore, my head was _throbbing_, and my heart was probably having a seizure by now. But, my body also wanted to keep on going. I didn't know if it was my determination or just the situation I was in, knowing that if I even so much as took a second too long _blinking_,much less hesitate, I would be shot to the ground in an instant.

Everything was going as well as I would've hoped. My sister, Azula was getting tired and though I knew she had the same power bestowed upon her as well, I also knew that she didn't know how to use it well enough. She may have been the prodigy, but she was also whacked out of her mind. Literally. I felt a little sorrow for her losing her sanity (some things a brother just _knows_), but it was nothing compared to what I would feel after the fight was over, in both physical _and _mental cases.

The Avatar, Aang was somewhere in the Earth Kingdom taking my father out. Everything relied on him, really. But that didn't mean that my part was any less important. If I didn't defeat Azula, it would be up to Katara to take her down. I knew that Azula, even insane, would probably kill her in a heartbeat. And then…well, who knows what Azula would do with her new position as _Fire Lord_?

Sokka and Toph and Suki. Well, I knew that they were supposed to be taking down the Fire Lord's air platoon. I didn't know how they were holding up. But, I knew that they could each hold their own and they did even better when together, so I didn't have to worry much about them. What I was worrying about was Aang. I knew he was hesitant about facing the Fire Lord…and the Fire Lord would not allow hesitations. It would be the death of everyone with a kind soul.

It was then, as Azula was just getting up from an attack that literally blew her off her feet and I had thrown some provoking comment at her, that I realized something was wrong. I watched my sister begin to build up a clutter of lightning for a moment as the hair on the back of my neck began to stand up from all the static in the air and then glanced to my right, knowing it would take awhile for her to build up a charge big enough for her likings.

I nearly gasped when I saw Aang standing there instead of Katara. It seemed Azula had taken notice of him as well, because the lightning she had built up for me seemed to have changed targets. By instinct, I began running for the path of the lightning. But, there were some things even the Comet couldn't change. And one of them was how fast a human could run.

I couldn't even get my arm close enough to the bolt to even think about redirecting it. And by that time I realized I was going too slowly and the sorrow began to set in. I barely had time to see Aang catch it with his fingertips out of the corner of my eye. That's when everything went wrong. And all I could think was, _I taught him that._

He cried out and then the lightning sped off into the ground, sending shock waves through my legs. I guess scattered energy didn't hurt an experienced Firebender so much, because the only thing I felt was a horrible tingle in my muscles that almost made me laugh. Azula had a different reaction and fell to the ground a moment later (though I wasn't sure if it was necessarily because of the electricity), right after Aang had face planted in the marble.

"Aang!" I didn't even really notice I had said anything. Just that Aang was probably dead and Azula was laughing about it. Something hit my bloodstream and I was pretty damned sure it wasn't just adrenaline. I turned back around to see Azula rolling around on the ground laughing, but then her laughs turned into giggles and those giggles turned into whimpers and those whimpers turned into screams. The fury I felt before drained completely at that sight.

_First things first_, I remember thinking. I got to my feet and ran around in backwards circles, looking for anything that would do any good in restraining my sister. A moment later I found a rope of chains. I ran back to Azula and hauled her up into my arms, planning on chaining her to something so I didn't have to worry about her hopping off. Minutes later, she was weeping against the pillar I had chained her arms around. I sighed and brushed her cheek tenderly with the back of my hand, feeling a deeper sorrow and pity come onto me, before I looked over and saw Aang struggling to get to his feet.

I didn't notice myself cursing everything in my path either as I made my way over to him. I knelt beside his shaking form and eased him onto my lap, stroking his face gently and trying to hush his grunts of pain. I didn't know what pain he was going through, but I knew it was bad. I tried to imagine what he was feeling, by remembering the feeling that lightning left when you absorb it, but all I got was blurry eyes as I realized that I could not and would not ever feel the pain he felt.

"Zuko…"

"Don't give up." I tried to ignore his cold hands creeping into my robes. "We need you."

"I know." He sounded irritated, even through all the pain. "I'm…the Avatar…"

A feeling of sadness and disappointment (though not in him) hit me. "Not like that, Aang."

"Wha…what?"

"You're more than just the Avatar to all of us (_to me_), Aang," I said simply.

"But…"

"Shush, Aang," I quieted him gently. "You need to keep up your strength. But I need you to tell me something: Where's Katara?" _Why were you in her place?_ was the next thing I was about to say, but I figured that could wait until he wasn't hanging by a thread and it didn't hurt him so much to say something. If he made it, that is.

I scowled at that thought and let me rant at myself in my subconscious.

"I…" A whimper interrupted him and I felt my brow furrow as I took him up against my chest, wrapping my arms around his shoulders gently. I didn't know what I would accomplish that way (besides a fluttering heart), but I knew he was cold, because his fingers were absolutely freezing against my stomach. I felt his haggard breathing against my ear as he slumped against my shoulder, murmuring what I thought sounded an awful lot like, "Thanks."

I hummed in response and then let one of my hands travel up to the back of his neck. "Where is she, Aang?" I didn't want to be so persistent; I didn't even want Katara in any of our conversations, but it had to be done. I couldn't carry him back to the palace, not because I wasn't strong enough or that he was too heavy (I could easily carry him anywhere if the time called for it), but because I didn't know what to expect if I did bring him there. My only choice was to wait for Katara to come by, wherever she was.

"I…I don't know," he gasped.

"It's alright, Aang," I hushed him, nuzzling his ear gently. He sniffed and I scowled. I wasn't about to let him suffer for much longer. It made my blood boil just to think about him in such a state. He'd been hit by lightning before, but he was knocked out by it. I secretly wished that he had been knocked out this time as well so he didn't have to be in so much pain (or at least wouldn't realize it), but I remembered…the last time, he _died_ and the only way he came back was because of Katara who was now missing. Bitch.

Just then, I got a crazy idea.

"Hang on a second," I whispered, pulling away and easing him onto the ground. "Tell me if it hurts too much, Aang. I don't want to put you through anything worse than this. Alright?"

"Wha…what are you gonna do?" I was surprised he managed to get that much out.

"Something that might save your life."

That pretty much ended the conversation as he nodded stiffly and shut his eyes.

I didn't tell him that it might also _take_ his life.

I pulled what shreds remained of his shirt down and away so I could see his chest clearly. I knew that he had hit something vital when he attempted to redirect Azula's lightning, otherwise he wouldn't be on the brink of death, so I put my hands down softly on his chest just above his heart and tried to feel for any unwelcome energy there. I didn't know what I doing, so I was a little hesitant. However, when I felt something slightly shock the tip of my fingers, instinct seemed to take over and I was suddenly _bending_ the lightning right out of him.

"_Ah_!"

As much as I wanted to stop, I knew that if had let go right then, he would die without a doubt. I continued what I was doing and when Aang's breathing settled down into a semi-regular rhythm and the tears had stopped…well, let's just say I was a very happy Firebender.

I didn't know what happened, but suddenly I was kissing him. I guess I was just caught up in the moment. But, I can't say it wasn't all that unintended. I'd liked Aang for awhile, ever since we went off on our own little field trip. I get butterflies just thinking about what happened. Yeah, call it a Firebending technique all you want, it's still called the _Dancing _Dragons.

Before anything really happened, my conscience reminded me I was _kissing_ a _twelve_-year-old _boy _who just nearly _died_. I pulled away abruptly and stared at Aang, still a little bewildered at what had taken over me. Aang's cheeks were flushed and his lips were parted, his beautiful gray eyes wide with shock. I felt shame deeper than I ever had before.

"Agni, Aang, I'm sorry—"

And then _he_ was kissing _me_.

I felt my body relax as the embarrassment practically melted away, though I could feel my cheeks heat up. I let myself fall onto my elbows so our chests were touching, never breaking away. Something warm and rather fuzzy feeling settled in my gut. But then, Aang suddenly gasped and I pulled away quickly, thinking I might've hurt him somehow. His eyes met mine and I frowned.

"Are you alright?"

He tried nodding, but his eyelids fluttered for a moment and his hands fumbled on my forearms as though trying to fight off the fatigue, but he quickly lost the fight and fell limp against the marble with a shaky sigh. I felt a small smile slip onto my lips. I pulled back and hoisted him into my arms gently before I got to my feet and made to enter the palace.

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**A/N: Uh...yeah. Don't ask how Aang suddenly appeared and Katara suddenly fell off the face of the Earth.  
**

**Lolage. I have no idea where that came from. I had a dream that Aang and Katara traded places in the finale for some reason and then Aang died. And Zuko spazzed out and killed everyone. I decided to make a story about it. Except I modified it a bit for public viewing. Haha! No, really. It would've been a tad too graphic for even me. And I read NC-17 stories like everyday. LOL.**

**So, for those of you who didn't read the modified summary for_ From the Depths of Insanity_ yet, I quit that story. From now on, I'm probably going to be posting one-shots for random things (like ZukAang) and I'm even thinking about turning this one into a ZukAang drabble story. Sorry for the inconvenience. I just can't write for Crazula anymore it seems. At least, not an ongoing Crazula story.**

**ANYWHO. Enjoy?  
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